Duet piano-bench.



B. F. MOONEY.

DUET PIANO BENCH. APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1911.

Patented June 4, 1912.

[Ni ANTON M A/IOVIILj/J' W1 r/vEssEs BEN-THIN F. MOONEY, OF FINDLAY, OHIO.

DUE! PIANO-BENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Kay 81, 1911. Serial No. 630,379.

Patented June 4, 1912.

7 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. MooNai', a citizen of the United States, residing at Findlay, in the county of Hancock and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Duet Piano-Benches, of whlch the following is a specification. I

The object of the present improvements, primarily, is to provide a duet piano bench or seat embodying a drawer structure whereby sheet music or the like may be kept convenient for use by a musician.

The piano bench in its preferred construction has drawers which are adapted to slide out from the ends of the top of the bench, a convenient index being arranged in each drawer.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for holding the drawers closed, for automatically opening the drawers when released, and for limiting the opening of said drawers. 1

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to be had to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a duet piano bench embodying the invention, one of the drawers being shown in closed position and the other as when open; Fig. 2 is a to plan view of the bench, the top being part y broken away to show more clearly the arrangement of the drawer and other parts; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken about on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section taken .about on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 with the drawer removed; Fig. 5 is a deta1l view partly in section showing the spring buffer carried by one of the stop blocks; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the adjustable bushing carrying the spring that forces the drawers outwardly; Fig. 7 is an end elevation partly in section showing the bushing and the sleeve bearing in which it is mounted.

Throughout the following detail description' and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like. reference characters.

The top portion of the bench is indicated at'l, the legs at 2 and the sliding drawers at 3, saiddrawers being adapted to move upon guides 4 which support the same. The drawers 3 have arran ed therein suitable indexes 5 permitting o classification of sheet music or the like, according to name, and rendering such music very readily accessible when the drawers are in open position, not even necessitating that the person or persons seated on the. bench get up from the same. spaces in the top portion 1 of the bench and supported in a bushing 7 on said partition is a long spiral spring 8 which projects some distance from opposite sides of the partitions so as to engage at its opposite ends with the inner end portions of the drawer to force the latter outwardly when released from a suitable catch. The spring 8 is secured by any suitable fastening means to the bushing 7 and said bushing has a spiral slot 7 receiving a projection 11 extending inwardly from a sleeve 9 in which the bushing is mounted for slight rotative and longitudinal movement. Opposite ends of the bushing 7 are notched, as shown at 10 to permit of ready application of a suitable tool to turn the bushing, thereby causing the projection 11 to force the bushing in an endwise direction carrying the spring with it for the purpose of adjusting the position of the latter to obtain a greater amount of compression of the spring by one or the other of the drawers 3 when the same is closed. On the inner end of each drawer 3 is mounted a spring cup 12, connected thereto by a threaded stem 13. It will be apparent that as the drawers are closed, the free ends of the spring 8 are engaged in the cups 12 of the drawers 3 andthe spring is compressed in a manner readily evident and held compressed when the drawers are locked in closed positions by means of the catch levers 14 which are mounted upon the top portion 1. of'the bench at its opposite ends. The upper locking ends of the catch levers l t engage in recesses or notches 14 in the bottom portions of the drawers, and in order to open a drawer, the operator merely lifts the outer handle extremity of the catch levers 14 for said drawer, whereupon the adjacent compressed end of the A partition 6 separates the drawer spring 8 projects the drawer quickly into an open position.

The opening movement of each drawer is limited by means of stop blocks 15 arranged sudden openin movement of the drawers when actuated y expansion of the ends of the springs 8. The bufl'er springs 16 are adjustable by means of screws 17, as shown in Fig. 5. The cups 12 in the inner ends of the drawers 3 prevent lateral bulging movement of the ends of the spring as the drawers are forced into closed positions, and said ends of the spring 8 are compressed. It is, of course, contemplated that any suitable index 5 maybe arranged in the drawers and various other modifications may be made according to the spirit of the invention and scope of the claim appended hereto. l

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a duet piano bench, the combination of a top portion, a pair of drawers slidable therein and adapted to open outwardly in opposite directions, a partition between said drawers, a coiled spring passin said partition, a bushing in w ich said spring is located, said bushing having a spiral slot therein, a sleeve in which the bush ing is mounted having a projection thereon to engage in the spiral slot, the aforesaid bushin having notches at opposite ends thereo to permit of application of a tool for adjustment of the tension of the spring, the inner ends of the drawers being adapted to compress the springs when the drawers are closed, and catches for holding the drawers normally in closed osition.

In testimony whereof I a x my signature I in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. MOONEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. PRIDDY, ADA TOWNSEND.

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